F1 Suzuka - SUN - Race - Jenson Button 4th, Lewis Hamilton 5th

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Suzuka, Japan, Oct 10, 2010

More useful points after a busy day in Japan...

JENSON BUTTON
- MP4-25A-01
- Started: 6th
- Finished: 4th
- Fastest lap: 1m33.529s (+0.055s), 2nd
- Pitstops: One: on lap 38 (Pri-Opt)
- 2010 points: 189 (5th)

�At the start of the race, the drivers in front weren�t struggling on the option tyre as much as we�d expected. So we were a little bit compromised, and I think we stayed out too long for our first stint.


�As soon as we saw the others were quick on the option, and I wasn�t able to pull a gap, or pressure anyone in front, maybe it would have been sensible to pit at that point and fit the option.

�We�ll go away and look at the data, and the reasons for it. It was a tough race on such old tyres, but it was fun once we�d fitted the option; the car felt great - I had a lot of grip, and the car was very fast.

�Still, we weren�t quick enough today to beat the Red Bulls and possibly the Ferrari. And I don�t think we�d have finished any further up. I�m in the same championship position as I was before this race, so the title�s getting more difficult. We came here with a lot of different new parts - some of them worked really well, while others need a bit of work.

�We�ve just got to hope that when we put the new package on the car in Korea, we get the best out of it. For the next race, we�ll hopefully have the performance we�d expected to have here.�

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-25A-02
- Started: 8th
- Finished: 5th
- Fastest lap: 1m35.182s (+1.708s), 9th
- Pitstops: on lap 22 (Opt-Pri)
- 2010 points: 192 (4th)

�This wasn�t a great weekend for me. I made a mistake on Friday, then we changed the gearbox yesterday and I got a grid penalty, and then I had another gearbox problem in the race.

�That�s an unfortunate amount of collective bad luck, but the team and I will bounce back.With the gearbox, I was running normally, then downshifted into third, accelerated and lost the gear. After that, I had to rely on just fourth gear and above.

�I didn�t think the car would make it - it was making a lot of strange noises, but I kept my fingers crossed, tried not to shift too much and looked after it to the flag. I�m thankful and so happy that I least saw the end of the race - it�s my first finish for a long time.

�The championship doesn�t look great at the moment. But there are still three races to go and 75 points available, so we�ll remain optimistic and keep doing the best job we can. I�ll keep fighting.�

Martin Whitmarsh
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

�The biggest positive we can take away from today�s result is that both drivers clearly demonstrated significant pace against that of our rivals -and that�s a motivating force that we�ll take with us into the final three races of the championship.

�Obviously we played the long-game with Jenson, who was the only frontrunner to start on primes. Ultimately, that strategy didn�t come off as best we�d have liked because the others� option tyres didn�t fall away as quickly as we�d anticipated. Still, we feel it was a strategic choice worth taking. After switching to options, Jenson showed excellent pace, and I think we had the second fastest car today. Lewis did a great job, consistently closing the gap to the car in front before encountering a gearbox problem towards the end of the race.

�Initial analysis suggests this was a dog-ring failure that lost Lewis third gear. As a result, Lewis drove brilliantly, adapting his technique to race to the flag in fourth gear and above. We�re confident it can be resolved for Korea without incurring a five-place grid penalty. For the final three races, we�ve got to make sure we have 100 per cent reliability. Lewis finished this race 28 points behind the leader in the drivers� championship, with Jenson trailing by 31.

�With 75 points to play for in the drivers� championship, and 129 in the constructors�, our title challenge is still very much alive. We�ll keep on pushing and developing this car. There�s no reason why we can�t be fighting for the championship in Abu Dhabi.�














* Official photos and details courtesy of VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES *

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